The Hunting Trip of a Lifetime

Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:10 pm

My friend Jim, that I work with, has wanted to go on a big hunting trip for years but things never worked out before. This year he got the opportunity to go to Colorado with another guy, Tommy, from work. Tommy is not really a hunter but he has an uncle that lives out there and he has gone out there for the last 4 or 5 years. This annual trip is the only time that Tommy hunts and I'm not sure if he has ever connected with anything. Jim is an avid hunter and has been planning this trip all summer. Jim's opportunity came about when someone that usually goes with Tommy couldn't go.

As stated earlier, Jim has been planning this trip and he has dropped a boatload of money buying everything you can think of in preparation for this trip. Jim took his Polaris 4x4 quad (with less than 100 miles on it) complete with a trailer he bought for it to help haul out any elk that they might get. The area that they were hunting has ATV trails close by so they can use the trails to get further off the main roads, park the quad and head out on foot.

They arrived at their hunting camp last weekend got set up and headed out hunting the next day, Tommy hunting near the camp and Jim heading for the hills far away from camp. Sometime during that first day Jim slipped on some rocks and broke his lower leg. He ended up spending 4 days in the Hospital recovering from the surgery required to repair his leg.

Tommy continued to hunt (can't blame him, there was nothing he could do for Jim) and used Jim's quad to get around. Well, it appears that Tommy is not only not much of a hunter, but he is not much of a quad rider either. During some mishap the quad complete with trailer plummeted off into a 1200 ft. deep ravine and is apparently totalled. Tommy and Jim are both home now but the quad is still upside down, at the bottom of the ravine.

Re: The Hunting Trip o a Lifetime

Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:25 pm

Boy ole boy Rick.... I kept waiting for some type of punch line at the end thinking this all couldn't go wrong in one trip.I've never had a desire to hunt anything we don't have right here in our own back yard. I've had several friends talk to me about going way up north hunting bear and such but I say no thanks, I wouldn't drive that far to hunt for free....

Take care and have fun next week in Pa. Rick Looks to be turning colder for the weekend and bucks are running does everywhere here. I just came inside and there's ice mixed with the rain now...

Re: The Hunting Trip of a Lifetime

Thu Nov 04, 2010 9:01 pm

Rick, weather forecast for eastern PA next week is to be in the mid 50's to low 60's.When i used to go hunting we wanted colder weather, that was rifle. You should have some great weather bowhunting. Best of luck, bag a bigunBruce T.

Re: The Hunting Trip of a Lifetime

Wed Dec 01, 2010 2:44 pm

Well at least there ok. I crashed my quad three times. I broke my ribs three times and twice in one year on the quad. I never crashed the dirtbike even once going 100mph down the straights. It proves the bikes are safer. I had 2,500 miles on the polaris quad when i sold it. We rode the quad in Mass. in there forest and on the pipeline. It wasn't easy riding all the time. I rode the quad side hilling on a one track dirtbike trail for well over 5 miles I used a lot of body english that day. My kids were on bikes.

Back in '94 when it was time to get another rifle I chose the remington 700 in 338 winchester magnum just for that reason incase i wanted to do a hunting trip of a lifetime. I figured the 338wm could handle any thin skinned game on the planet. It hasn't happened yet but i will need to back it up with another big caliber too if i ever go on it. I was thinking about the 375 Holland & Holland as the second rifle. I'd like to go on a grizzly or polar bear hunt someday. Bill

Re: The Hunting Trip of a Lifetime

Wed Dec 01, 2010 4:33 pm

Just a brief update on Jim. He was able to get out during Michigan's firearm season and shoot a decent 8 pt. buck. A phone call to his brother brought him help pulling the deer out of the woods.

Last weekend Jim went with his best friend up north to his cabin to hunt for a couple of days and to winterize / close down the cabin for the winter. Upon arrival back home, the friend dropped Jim off at his house and went home only to die in his sleep that night.

Re: The Hunting Trip of a Lifetime

Sat Dec 11, 2010 5:06 pm

Sorry to hear about your loss.Oh man i hate to hear stories like this, but at our age it can happen at anytime at least he went fast with no suffering. My two older brothers went the same way too. One was 41yo and the other was 52yo and now i'm 60yo so its life in the fast lane. I enjoy everday that i'm on this side of the green. We just never know.... sorry, bill

BTW; I been telling the misses I don't want to die in CT. I want to get my new cabin up in VT and move up there and become a hermit. I want to live up there until i die so I can remain in VT out in the wilds. I just don't want to be stuck here in CT when i pass on.